News from Kingston Ontario

Happy Soul Project Celebrates Local Kids with Calendar Photoshoot

Happy Soul Project held a photoshoot in Kingston this past Sunday for their 2019 #differentisbeautiful Calendar, with 36 local children photographed during the event.

Every year, Happy Soul Project creates a beautiful calendar featuring children with extraordinary needs & vast differences. Not only to bring awareness, but more importantly to make each child in the Calendar feel like a Rock-Star and celebrate who they are.

Tara McCallan Happy Soul Project Founder noted that, “Our #differentisbeautiful Calendar is for these kids & families. It’s to show them we think their child is outrageously beautiful.

It’s to honour the hours, days, months they spent in hospitals, doctor appointments, seeing specialist and therapies. It’s to stand beside them and pat their backs for a job well done.

And it’s to shout from the rooftops how special, important, valued and awesome they are.”

The photoshoot for the 2019 #differentisbeautiful Calendar took place on July 15th, hosted at the Delta Waterfront Hotel in Kingston. 36 truly extraordinary children were photographed during this full day event. It was an incredibly special day for the Happy Soul Project Team, volunteers, families, and children.

Allyson Van Niekerk attended the event with her son and described the weekend as something so special.

“Being a special needs parent means there are a lot “have to’s” – appointments, therapies, therapy homework, hospital stays, surgeries… extras… hard extras… But sometimes the extras aren’t so hard. Sometimes the extras are meeting incredible people. The extras are celebrating your child in big ways, with people who “get it”.”

“People who embrace your child and his quirks and wonderful-ness and help you shout his worth from the roof top!” Van Niekerk added. “And sometimes there are even extras for mama who got to have a fan girl moment meeting Tara, Pip, and Boppa! Thank you Happy Soul Project – it was surreal!”

The calendar over the years, has featured hundreds of kids in the Kingston region and Happy Soul Project has helped in numerous community initiatives & currently runs a program with Queen’s University & local elementary schools.